Why Summertime in the LBC festival was a good day in Long Beach

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Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers performs during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

At Summertime in the LBC, the day of old-school soul and hip-hop included more than a dozen acts on the “Kickback” and “40 Oz.” stages, including Ice Cube, The Game, Warren G, Ja Rule & Ashanti, The Isley Brothers and Method Man & Redman.

The next large-scale musical event on the grounds will be Alt 98.7 FM’s Summer Camp music festival headlined by Death Cab for Cutie on Aug. 12.

Snoop Dogg headlines the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Ice Cube enters the main stage at the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Sound

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Boats gather north of the Queen Mary to listen to music performed during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Ashanti performs during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

The Game performs during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Redman performs during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers performs during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Ice Cube performs to a sold-out audience at Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Warren G performs during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Snoop Dogg headlines the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

From left, Redman and Method Man perform during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Various types of boats gather north of the Queen Mary to listen to music performed during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

The Dramatics perform during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Attendees of the Summertime in the LBC music festival sing along to Ja Rule and Ashanti on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Various types of boats gather north of the Queen Mary to listen to music performed during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Ice Cube performs to a sold-out audience at Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

The Isley Brothers perform during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Ashanti dances during her performance with Ja Rule at the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Method Man and Redman perform during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Ashanti and Ja Rule perform during the sold-out Summertime in the LBC music festival on the grounds around the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
(Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

OG and young Gs

And while there weren’t many adults with children at Summertime, there were various generations of music fans grooving alongside each other Saturday.

The crowd included well-dressed folks in their 60s drawn by bands like the Isley Brothers, The Dramatics and The Manhattans, people in their 40s who grew up in the g-funk era and younger fans who love the West Coast hip-hop sound.

“I grew up listening to these jams, back in the day we rolled down the neighborhood listening to this,” said 61 year-old Los Angeles resident Derrick Johnson, who was sporting a fedora hat, gold chain and silk short-sleeve shirt to see The Manhattans and the Isley Brothers.

Smooth Moves

Dressed in blue velvet blazers and black pants, members of The Dramatics slowly strolled onto the Kickback stage about 10 minutes after their set was supposed to begin.

But once the R&B group started dancing in unison, no one seemed to mind the band being fashionably late. And when they played songs like “Me and Mrs. Jones,” and “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get,” the Detroit group had everyone slowly grooving in front of the stage and singing along to pretty much all the songs. The band also played a slow-jam version of Snoop’s “Doggy Dogg World,” since they were featured in the song on the rapper’s debut album “Doggystyle.”

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Waterfront views

Even though the show was sold out, some fans figured out a way to watch without spending a lot of cash on tickets.

More than a dozen boats floated in the water just behind the park Saturday those on board got a pretty good view of the main stage and the backstage area.

Regulating

It was a triumphant return home for Long Beach native Warren G, who performed on the main stage early in the evening. Sporting a simple white T-shirt and jeans and smoking weed on stage, the 47-year-old sounded as crisp and young as he did in the mid 1990s during the heyday of the g-funk sound he helped create.

He expressed his excitement for being in his hometown as he took a selfie from the stage with the crowd behind him and performed a set that was a medley of his hits, including “Do You See,” and “This DJ.” Warren G ended his performance with his biggest hit, “Regulate,” as the crowd rapped along word for word.

Hot Ice

Although he started about 30 minutes late, the highlight of the night was Ice Cube, who started with one of his biggest hits — and a song that reflected how the crowd was feeling — “It Was a Good Day.”

It was yet another sing-along moment at the show when thousands of voices in the audience rapped the lyrics in unison. The crowd got even louder as they yelled “today was a good day.”

“Ain’t nothing better than working in your hometown,” Ice Cube told the screaming audience while scenes from his various movies played in the background as he performed several of his hits like “Natural Born Killaz,” and “Check Yo Self.”

Snoop Doggy dud

Long Beach native Snoop Dogg headlined the show and many expected an epic appearance as he came home to perform songs from his debut album “Doggystyle.”

But it was a set Snoop probably wants to forget.

Sporting a track suit with his hair tied back, Snoop tried to deliver, and had help from several barely-dressed dancers on stage, but sound problems plagued his performance.

At various points his microphone would cut out or the music overwhelmed his vocals, but mostly the tracks just seemed off and not in sync with Snoop’s rapping.

Snoop didn’t say much to the audience but he did ask for the bass to be turned down. He seemed to be talking to his group on stage about the sound problems, but people began leaving the show in the middle of his set.

However, some of the exodus may have been people trying to avoid the large crowds and catch a shuttle back to downtown Long Beach since there was no public parking allowed at the venue.